Artificial hand.



' A. VISEL.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- I8I l9I5-' 1 ,WfiAl 3. Patented Maw 16, 19m,

9% MIA 0x):

I W "W ADOLF VISIEL, 01E MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1L6, rare.

Application filed October 18, 1M5. ,Serial No. 56,386.

To all whom it may concern: t

Be it known that I, ADoLF VIsnL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Hands; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in artificial hands, particularly of that simpler type including a pair of pivotally connected finger members having their ends bent in hook shape and re siliently urged together to grip an article therebetween. It is more particularly an object of the present invention to provide an artificial hand comprising a pair of pivotally connected finger members so formed that a positive two place grip may be exerted on articles inserted therebetween to efficiently hold such articles for desired manipulation:

lit is further an object to providesuch an artificial hand which is adapted for gripping and holding articles of considerably varying widths so that the hand may be used for various practical purposes, and may be equally well adapted for holding knives or other table cutlery or the like, or for holding hammers or other tools having a relatively greater diameter of handle.

With the above arid other objects and advantages in View, the invention resides more particularly in the novel combination, arrangement and formation of parts more particularly hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the' appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved artificial hand showing an article held thereby; Fig. 2 'is a sectional view taken vertically on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and showing the rear gripping extensions; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on theline 44 of Fig. 1 show ing the spring housings of-the fingers; Fig. 5 isa partial top plan view showing the bowed relation of the fingers, and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the gripping faces of the fingers formed with a resilient sheathing.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, there are provided a pair or fingers 5 and 6 respectively, which are pivotally connected at adjacent ends as at 7, the finger 6 being extended at 8 to form a suitable connection with an arm socket. The intermediate portion of each finger is provided with an outwardly formed hollow enlargement producing opposed casings 9 in which is positioned a 'retractile spring 10, secured to pins 11 in the ends of the easing and being of considerable strength for drawing the fingers together to grip desired articles. The outer ends of the fingers are laterally directed in parallel engaging position as at 12 to form outer gripping portions and these portions have adjacent sections thereof oppositely bowed as at 13 to receive tool handles or other articles of relatively great width.

To provide inner gripping members for holding tool handles or the like, a pair of gripping extensions .l l project laterally from the fingers adjacent the casings 9and these extensions are oppositely bowed, whereby corresponding portions are oppositely inclined, the bowing of the said extensions being relatively greater than the bowing of the sections 13 to provide for substantially equal spaces between opposite portions of the sections and corresponding opposite portions of the extensions when the fingers are disposed inangular relation. Thus by providing inclined portions of the extensions ll, toolhandles or the like may be positively gripped at two places by the artificial hand. To accomplish this the tool handle is inserted in the bowed portions 13 and is angularly adjusted with such bowed portions as a pivot to engage bowed portions of the extensions It in such' manner that positive gripping action will be exerted at both pairs of bowed portions. It is noted that the extensions 14 need not necessarily be bowed, as the same result would be procured were they inclined in any manner.

To provide a two place grip for articles of relatively small Width which are held by portions of the finger and extensions 12 other than the bowed portions 13, the finger bodies 5 and 6 are oppositely bowed between the extensions 12 and the spring casings 9 and thus knives or other articles may be gripped by the extensions 12 and by suitable portions of the bowed finger bodies, such articles being angularly adjusted with the extensions 12 as a pivot. to engage respective bowed portions of the finger bodies 5 and 6 in such manner that positive gripping action will be exerted at the extensions 12, and at said portions of the bowed finger bodies. Such articles as are gripped by the finger extensions 12 and the bowed portions of the finger bodies may be subjected to a two place grip at either of two angles by engagement in either of the end portions of the opening formed between the finger bodies by so bowing them. The extensions 12 and bowed body portions may be also utilized for holding articles of relatively great width, but such portions necessarily hold articles at an angle to the general axis of the hand, while the portions 13 and extensions 14 hold articles substantially parallel to the axis of the hand and are thus particularly adapted for holding hammers and the like.

Although the various portions of the hand have been described as particularly adapting it for exerting a twoplace grip on articles held thereby, such a two place grip requires a comparative nicety in positioning the article with relation to the hand, which in some instances it might not be desired to exert, and it is wished to here point out that the bowed portions of the finger bodies and the bowed extensions .14 serve valuable functions even when the two place holding is not utilized, as the bowed portions 14: serve as a means for loosely embracing and holding an article even when they do not positively grip it, and the bowed portions of the finger bodies serve to provide a clearance for the ends of articles which are gripped at an acute angle by the finger extensions 12, it being also seen that by gripping such articles at an acute angle and permitting their ends to extend between the finger bodies, that a. relatively great gripping surface is provided to efficiently hold the article. i

The intermediateportion of the finger 6 is offset 'outwardl-y'of the adjacent portion of the finger 5, and this arrangement aids materially in inserting articles between the finger portions. v

The opposed faces of the fingers and of the extenslons 12 and 14 are milled as shown or otherwise roughened to' provide an-efiicient grip. When, however, the hand is used in connection with articles which would be undesirably marred by such milled gripping faces, the fingers and extensions might be faced with rubber or other preferably resilient holding material, such structure being particularly shown in Fig. 6 wherein the numeral 15 designates such rubber facings.

The fingers are actuated to open position in the usualmanner by a cord 16 connected with the arm of the wearer and this cord is secured to an eye 17 projecting outwardly from the bowed portion 13 of the extension 12 of the pivoted finger 5.

I claim:

1. An artificial hand comprising a pair of pivotally connected finger members having their free ends directed laterally, and a'pair of members at-interm'ediate portions of the fingers, extending in substantially the direc tion of the said lateral ends, said members having opposite portions relatively inclined. 2. An artificial hand comprising a pair of finger members pivotally connected at adja cent ends having their opposite ends directed laterally in substantially parallel relation, and intermediate portions of said Ifinger members being oppositely bowed.

3. An artificial hand comprising a pair of oppositely bowed finger members pivotally connected at adjacent ends and having their opposite ends extended laterally in substantially parallel relation, portions of said parallel extensions being oppositely bowed, and

oppositely bowed members extending laterally from intermediate portions of the fingers in the direction of the extensions thereof.

4. An artificial hand comprising a pair of pivotally connected fingers having adjacent portions provided with hollow outward en largements forming opposed casings and a retractile spring disposed in said casings and secured thereto. a

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of VVisconsin, in the'presence of two witnesses.

ADOLF' VISEL.

Witnesses:

T. S. RATGLIFFE,

M. E.-D owNEr. 

